Tips on Pistol Shooting

[jitu sati]

now no delay. i will take up the 40 shot box drill today eve. let me approach it with absolute no tension and concentrate on maintaining the SA in the zone and shoot. will let you know the result and then follow it tomorrow after deciding what problem i will focus on

[tirpassion]

Please note the time also jitu and report back, if possible today evening. Remember, One error only, the most important to be noted today to work on tomorrow. SOA box drill.
I will call you up today evening at between 9:30 to 10 PM. Is it ok with you?

best regards
tirpassion

[jitu sati]

unfortunately tir as i told you there was no electricity after first 10 shots yesterday. hence will again attempt to do the 40 shot shoot today. will let you know the result.

[airgun_novice]

Hello ??? ... awaiting guidance here ... Gooroojeez - can you shine a torch here please ?

[airgun_novice]

Was at the range today with the new progressives on. Went with H-U-G-E expectation. The Great Expectations weren't from Self but from the new expensive glasses and D-I-C-K-E-N-S !!! The double vision reduced but stayed ! Of course I saw a lot clearer at 10m and also at almost zero where my feet rested, my pellet tin etc. I could even see the #10.9 clearly. But still the double vision of SA persisted. Mood off ! As a result the % of upacharya-defined "expected shots" came down by 10-15%. I let my emotions take over.

So now, Further investigation. Further treatment, but also Further practice & Further progress !

[jitu sati]

wasnt able to vis the range on saturday. but finally reached on sunday evening and took a 40 shot complete shoot. the final score was 359 with twenty three 9s, nine 8s and eight 10s. one fault which i noticed which caused me trouble and which i will try to consciously overcome today is that 'the trigger finger refuses to to react even when the SA is correct and in the zone'. this causes delay and leads to bad shots. need to prac the trigger operation more so that this fault can be remedied. any suggestions for overcoming this fault

[brihacharan]

[quote="jitu sati"]
Wasnt able to vis the range on saturday. but finally reached on sunday evening and took a 40 shot complete shoot. the final score was 359 with twenty three 9s, nine 8s and eight 10s. one fault which i noticed which caused me trouble and which i will try to consciously overcome today is that 'the trigger finger refuses to to react even when the SA is correct and in the zone'. this causes delay and leads to bad shots. need to prac the trigger operation more so that this fault can be remedied. any suggestions for overcoming this fault?

Hi Jitu,

> I sincerely hope this will benefit you.

HAND EXERCISES FOR TRIGGER FINGER
Sometimes trigger finger makes it difficult to curl and extend the fingers smoothly. Inflammation of trigger finger (Stenosing Tenosynovitis) is caused by a narrowing of the sheath that surrounds the tendon that controls the affected finger or the thumb. This narrowing causes the tendon to get stuck when the finger is in a bent position, then suddenly release in a clicking or popping motion. People who over strain their fingers are at risk of developing a stiffened trigger finger, a symptom common amongst people who repetitively use, a gripping motion such as writers.

TRIGGER FINGER EXERCISES

Stretches
Stretching the hand helps to prepare the muscles for strengthening exercises, relieves swelling and neutralizes the position of the fingers. Try spreading your fingers as wide as you comfortably can, hold for 15 seconds & then bring them together again. Follow the finger stretch by adopting a thumbs-up position, then gently pushing the base of your thumb back to stretch the joint and hold for 15 seconds.

Tendon Gliding
Tendon gliding exercises help to improve trigger finger by causing the tendons to gently run through their surrounding sheaths and increase lubrication.
•Start by spreading your fingers as wide as you comfortably can, then slowly bend your fingers to touch the top of your palm.
•Open them out again then touch your fingers to the middle of your palm, then open them again and touch them to the bottom of your palm. Once you have worked your fingers, try slowly moving your thumb across your palm to touch the bottom of your little finger and back again.
•Repeat the exercises 5 times and perform each stage slowly, stopping if you experience any pain. Immersing the hand in warm water can help to ease stiffness as you repeat the exercises.
Strengthening
•Strengthening the muscles of the forearm and wrist that control hand movements can help to balance hand movements and improve the efficiency of your actions.
•Strengthening exercises also increase blood flow to the hand, creating warmth and speeding up recovery from trigger finger.
•Start by pinching your fingertips and the tip of your thumb together and place an elastic band around them.
•Move your fingers away from your thumb until the band is fairly tight and will stay in place on your fingers and thumb. Use a repetitive pumping motion to extend the fingers and thumb further away from each other against the resistance of the band and closer together again, maintaining tension in the elastic throughout.
•Repeat the exercise 10 times & then remove the band. Follow by bending the affected finger or thumb toward your palm slightly and hooking the elastic band over the middle of it.
•Use your other hand to pull the end of the band until slight tension is created, then straighten the finger or thumb against the tension 5 times.

Briha

[brihacharan]

[quote="airgun_novice"]
Was at the range today with the new progressives on. Went with H-U-G-E expectation. The Great Expectations weren't from Self but from the new expensive glasses and D-I-C-K-E-N-S !!! The double vision reduced but stayed ! Of course I saw a lot clearer at 10m and also at almost zero where my feet rested, my pellet tin etc. I could even see the #10.9 clearly. But still the double vision of SA persisted. Mood off ! As a result the % of upacharya-defined "expected shots" came down by 10-15%. I let my emotions take over.
So now, Further investigation. Further treatment, but also Further practice & Further progress !

Hi there!
> Just came across this "Gyan" - wish to share with you guys.
6 steps to becoming a crack Air Pistol Shooter!By B.B. Pelletier

For Air Pistol Shooters, controlling the trigger really means controlling the entire gun because the hand that holds the gun contains the trigger finger. One hand applies two different types of pressure - static and dynamic. The essence of trigger control is a natural by-product of a correct pistol grip. Here's a fuller explanation of the correct grip and some other tips that should help you shoot better.

1.GRIP!
Pick up your pistol and work the grip into position as described below until it is correctly and comfortably sitting in your hand. Only practice and experience will help you determine what is correct. Nothing says you have to maintain a grip on your pistol throughout the entire match. In fact, most experienced shooters re-grip the pistol for each shot.

2.SETUP!
Your trigger finger should never deliver any sideways motion when it's squeezing the trigger. To improve your squeeze, make sure the trigger blade is positioned so the natural movement of your finger is straight back. The center of your trigger finger's pad should be the only part touching the trigger blade. Smoothly squeeze (do not pull!) the trigger back. If your trigger finger isn't in the proper position, you do not have a proper grip. Go back to Step 1 to reposition your hand so your trigger finger is in the right place.

3.HOLD!
Your thumb plays no role. It just touches the grip. It’s your middle finger that helps press the gun's grip into your hand so the gun rests comfortably in the area between your thumb and your index finger. Some people call this the web of your hand.

4.SHOOT!
Limit the time you hold the sight picture on the target to no more than five seconds. Not able to do it in five seconds? Stop immediately and start all over again by going back to Step 1. You don't want to stand there and hold the gun for a long period of time. You'll get tired, you'll hesitate and you won't have control over your trigger when you finally yank off your shot in frustration.

5.BREATHE!
Take several deep breaths, then one last breath and let half out. You now have about five seconds of calm until your heart starts to protest. This is when the shot must be taken.

6.CONCENTRATE!
LOOK AT THE SIGHT PICTURE AND FOCUS ON THE FRONT SIGHT BLADE INSTEAD OF THE TARGET. Like a camera that focuses on a close object while making the object far away blurry, you are focusing on the sight picture while the target down range is not quite as sharp. The rear sight notch is also a little fuzzy, but because it is closer to the front sight, it is more in focus than the bulls-eye. That's how winners do it!
Good Luck!
Briha

[brihacharan]

[quote="airgun_novice"]
Hello ??? ... awaiting guidance here ... Gooroojeez - can you shine a torch here please ?

Hi AGN / All AP Shooters....

> Here's my shining torch - Hope you catch the beam!

TRAINING YOUR MIND FOR SUCCESS
It’s all about the subconscious mind and how it manifests itself in your life. Nearly all goals that are successfully achieved start as an idea, and with positive vibes, eventually turn into reality. It’s up to you to train your mind for success.

It’s called “Autosuggestion”. It is just a way of influencing your own subconscious. We unconsciously program ourselves in this way, day in and day out. You can actually learn to take control of this process and get some pretty powerful results.

Emotions Affect Your Subconscious
Strong emotions have a profound effect on the subconscious. Whether or not you achieve your goals depends largely on how you feel about them. A great tip is to try feeling like your goal is already done. This is because imagining a goal being achieved creates strong, favorable emotions around it. It teaches your subconscious to associate your goals with positivity. And as you probably know, positivity will attract success whereas negativity will repel it.

Use Autosuggestion for Success
You’re probably thinking at this point, “That’s cool, but how do I train my subconscious to be positive?” This is where autosuggestion comes into play.

It isn’t too hard to change a mindset if you’re consistent. Setting aside just 10 minutes a day is all it takes. In that 10 minute period, visualize a situation wherein you are hitting the centre spot of the target (a perfect score). The visualization is only one half of the equation, though. You need to create positive emotions around your visualization.

In my earlier post I had mentioned “during meditation focus on a target sheet with a perfect score”.

Think of emotions as the medium between your conscious thoughts and your hidden subconscious. The stronger the emotions are, the faster you’ll be able to train yourself. Believe that you’ll have what you’re visualizing. This is intention manifestation and psychological manipulation all in one go, and it can be pretty powerful.

Having discussed this with a psychologist, the basics of autosuggestion made a lot of sense.
If you repeat this exercise daily you’ll find that your “gut reaction” to competitive shooting completely changes. You’ve changed your subconscious through autosuggestion. You can do this as much as you want, with whatever you want -

Even if you want to achieve ‘Proficiency in Air Pistol Shooting’ - it may sound a little silly, give it a chance. It’s life changing – Try it - Get surprised!

Briha

[airgun_novice]

Thank you Brihji. That's for starters - yeh dil maange more...

[hvj1]

Hello AGN,

Remember the story about the young man who could lift a full grown bull?

He started off by lifting the bull when it was a newborn calf. Each day he would lift up the calf, as the calf grew, so did the strength and technique of the young man. Over a period of time, when the calf grew to the size of the bull, the man could still lift him.

Well the story may be a bit tall, but the moral is simple - By taking INCREMENTALLY increasing small loads each day, confidence and technique also develop to take on the increasing small load.

With every problem that you encounter along the journey as a shooter, surmounting each of them makes you that bit stronger. But the most important thing is ATTITUDE, the way you look at things, the way you perceive things, people, incidents and particularly yourself.

You wish to be mentally stronger? Is there a way to guage mental strength? Why yes there is and the scale obviously differs from person to person.

When you face a setback in life, how quickly do you BOUNCE BACK, willing to tackle the situation with renewed vigour and vim?

Your ATTITUDE determines to a very great extent, how quickly you marshall your forces to tackle the situation.

Some people moan and moan, indicative of a poor attitude, while others perceive the seback differently, Oh yes they do take time out to reflect and regroup, we are after all humans, but then they BOUNCE BACK. That is positive attitude.

The foundation of attitude itself, lies in your personal philosophy, the way you see life and what life means to you. Read ' Why do we face problems in life?' its there somewhere in this thread. Not only read it , but mull over it, dont accept it at face value. i know for sure that you wont, since I believe you are an intelligent and mature person.

All the very Best and dont think that I am not following your progress, I do keep an eye on whatever you write.

[brihacharan]

by hvj1 » Tue Jul 31, 2012 10:51 am
Hello AGN,
Remember the story about the young man who could lift a full grown bull?
He started off by lifting the bull when it was a newborn calf. Each day he would lift up the calf, as the calf grew, so did the strength and technique of the young man. Over a period of time, when the calf grew to the size of the bull, the man could still lift him.
Well the story may be a bit tall, but the moral is simple - By taking INCREMENTALLY increasing small loads each day, confidence and technique also develop to take on the increasing small load.

> What a wonderful story - loaded with wisdom!
> The young man was Milo (Greek) - who found that the youngest calf in his herd couldn't keep up with rest on their way to pasture.
> So out of his love for the young animal he used to lift & carry it on his shoulders ... the rest is history.
> Nevertheless as "hvj1" has explained it's all about Patience, Persistence & the Will to Win!
Briha

[hvj1]

Thanks Brihaji,
So it was Milo, thanks again and many many thanks for enrichening the thread with your experience, wit and wisdom.
Best Regards

[brihacharan]

[quote="hvj1"]
Thanks Brihaji,
So it was Milo, thanks again and many many thanks for enrichening the thread with your experience, wit and wisdom.
Best Regards

Dear hvj1,

> I am truly humbled by your response.
> In all humility I take the liberty to quote Sir Issac Newton: "If I can see far today, it's because I stand on the shoulders of those who are far more knowlegeable than me"!
Warm regards
Briha

[airgun_novice]

Dear hvj1 guruji and brihji,

Thank you both for the roving Eye of the Ancient Mariner.
Like Sir Issac Newton I need to improve the horizon of my skills and wisdom.
Unlike Sir Issac Newton, I sit at thy feet to partake of wisdom.

Incidentally, when I wrote of "light" it was Newton who sprang forth first in my mind - as Alexander Pope (only in name, never the pontiff ) wrote of his friend - "Nature and her laws lay hidden in the darkness of night; then God said "Let Newton be" and all was Light !

I have your book, Sir, and in fact during contemplation, has the conflict arisen -
1. How do I measure the extent of my progress if I do not score in practice sessions ?
2, How do I gauze the extent of my technical flaws and how do I reduce them ?
3. I keep auto-suggestion on "niShkaam-karma" and yet the MQS keeps popping up. Can I really quarantine that thought ? How ? [I feel mentally weak there]
4. When the first time (the day before) I went to the range to try on the new progressives and the double vision stayed, I was shocked; albeit for a few moments. It was not just the thought of Rs. 10K wasted on Brain MRI and the progressives, but a tacit acceptance of the fate that this is the limitation that's been imposed upon me by the Nature/ Gods. It took me almost a day to analyse and go about experimenting the next day (yesterday). I thought - "If the diplopia is vertical (and not horizontal), what's wrong in shifting the head position in a "nod" posture rather than laterally as my doc suggested". Then at a point the vision suddenly cleared - almost like removing the parallax from the camera. Of course the target blurs a bit - but then it always did when one focused on SA, right ?

The problem born with #4 above is that SOA will need to be re-calibrated and I have to account for those extra 2-4 seconds. Need to work on when the first pull will start and when the second pull to release now will execute. Will revert on that.

But like Brihji said, I need to practice holding and trigger release more akin to what Jukka wrote. Like hvji guruji wrote more contemplation and incremental improvement is what I should hope for and accept than sudden "magic". Thankfully, I have over a month and half before the gfg. Plan to clear the next hurdle then.